India launches ambitious national artificial intelligence mission
The Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved the IndiaAI Mission with an allocation of ₹10,372 crore over five years, positioning India to become a global hub for artificial intelligence research, development, and deployment.
The mission includes creation of a shared compute infrastructure with 10,000 GPUs accessible to startups, researchers, and government agencies; development of an India-specific foundational AI model; and establishment of AI centres of excellence at IITs and IISc.
Minister for Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw called it "the largest government investment in AI by any developing nation." He said the mission will create 500,000 skilled AI professionals over five years through a dedicated training programme.
The IndiaAI Mission also includes a ₹2,000 crore fund for AI startups, which will be managed by a new entity under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade.
India's AI ecosystem has been growing rapidly, with cities like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Pune emerging as global AI talent hubs. The country currently has over 3,000 AI startups and ranks among the top five countries for AI talent concentration globally.
Industry bodies including NASSCOM and CII welcomed the announcement. "This puts India on the global AI map definitively," said NASSCOM president Debjani Ghosh.
